June 08, 2017
A Discussion of the UN Report on “Israeli Practices Regarding the Palestinians and the Question of Apartheid”
In March 2017, the UN Economic and Social Commission on West Asia (ESCWA) released a report—Israeli Practices Regarding the Palestinian People and the Question of Apartheid, hereafter “the Report”—coauthored by Richard Falk and myself, which...
Learn more »June 06, 2017
The Crisis in Gulf Relations: Old Rivalries, New Ambitions
Introduction On the morning of Wednesday May 24, Qataris woke up to a sensationalist media vilification campaign led by Emirati and Saudi broadcasters and other media institutions, targeting the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin...
Learn more »June 06, 2017
Why Qatar? Explaining Contentious Issues
Three of the countries comprising the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)—Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates— have just severed diplomatic relations with the State of Qatar, a partner in the council. Such a drastic...
Learn more »June 06, 2017
Trump and the Israel-Palestine Conflict
We are now five months into the chaos of the Trump era. Is it possible to begin to answer the question of how this unusual president might choose to deal with the Israel-Palestine conflict? Has...
Learn more »June 06, 2017
Egyptian-Saudi Relations: Managing a Difficult Marriage
An iconic image from President Donald Trump’s visit to Riyadh last May was when he, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi all had their hands around a glowing...
Learn more »June 05, 2017
Emboldened Kurdish Aspirations in Iran: Where Are They Headed?
The revival of Kurdish nationalism in the Middle East has largely been discussed in the context of Syria and Iraq, but not Iran—which is the home of seven to nine million Kurds who make up...
Learn more »June 05, 2017
A Bird’s Eye View of the 1967 War: Palestine Remains the Central Issue
Half a century separates us from the monumental June 1967 war that, on the surface, resulted in a redrawing of the geography of the Middle East. In essence, this event ushered in a harder chapter...
Learn more »June 01, 2017
The Dangers of Arab Normalization with Israel
The controversy surrounding Arab normalization with Israel is constantly in the news. Examples pop up often, such as the Kuwaiti official visiting the Occupied Territories, Emirati forces coordinating with their Israeli counterparts, and the Doha...
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